The agreement reflects a commitment by both sides to achieving greater coordination and harmonization on global and regional issues of mutual interest, particularly on working to make a success the climate change summit scheduled in Mexico at the year-end.

The 5th EU-Mexico summit, held in the northern Spanish town Comillas, was attended by European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose country is holding the rotating EU presidency, and Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

"Europe is willing to collaborate with Mexico and will do everything possible to make the climate change summit a success," Rompuy told a news conference following the meeting.

Zapatero said Mexico has played an increasingly great role in the international community. "It is a main actor in the struggle against climate change, it gives an important contribution in the G20 and it has a constructive understanding of the new global system, which is more and more multilateral and needs increasing cooperation."

The close relationship between the EU and Mexico is "a decisive asset" for confronting the major global challenges, Zapatero stressed.

Calderon emphasized opportunities for cooperation with regard to security and combating international organized crime. "We are going to reinforce cooperation for instance on the struggle against international crime, traffic of weapons and explosives, human trafficking, traffic of drugs, money laundering."

Zapatero suggested that new collaboration could take the form of greater coordination and cooperation between the Mexican security forces and European bodies such as Europol and Frontex.

As for the macroeconomic dialogue, Calderon said the crisis has had effects on trade and investment relations between the EU and Mexico, but believing that the economic recovery will come, in part thanks to the huge efforts made by many countries, including Spain.

According to the Mexican president, the EU has been the second largest trading partner as well as the second largest source of foreign direct investment for Mexico.

Both sides said they wish to continue building a relationship which is "closer, deeper and more mature, by means of specific actions and joint initiatives."

"The EU has this kind of privileged relationship, the strategic association, with just nine countries in the world," Barroso said, adding that the association is necessary to make progress in the field of energy, climate change, security, human rights, migration and other very important issues that have consequences at a global level.